1v1 Tag Variations

1v1 tag variations are a fun and competitive way to get players warmed up for practice. Players typically enjoy tag games and I’ve found that these are good to use following a general dynamic warm-up.

Set Up

Create lines with 3-5 players in each one, spaced out every 5 yards. Players don’t need soccer balls for this drill, however, they could be incorporated afterwards by transitioning into 1v1s.

How It Works

The first player in each line comes out to the middle of their lane and is designated as the tagger. On the coaches signal, the next player in line tries to run by the tagger without getting tagged. In the event that the tagger, tags the runner, the runner becomes the new tagger. If the tagger fails to tag the runner, the tagger stay in the middle.

In order to make the drill more challenging for the tagger, there are many different variations and starting points for this the players in this game. Here are a few of the best ones I have used that are pictured in the diagram (the tagger is identified as the defender in the image and the runner is identified at the attacker):

The runner starts standing up while the tagger starts sitting down

The runner starts standing up while the tagger must do one push-up

The runner starts standing up while the tagger must do two lunges

The runner starts sitting down, the tagger must do three sit-ups

The runner must do one push-up while the tagger does three push-ups

These variations give the runner a slight head start to try to get past the tagger while the tagger must be quick to get up and tag the runner.

Coaching Points

As a coach you can get creative and come up with your own variations for this drill. If you discover any fun variations, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Another way to change the difficulty for the taggers and runners is to adjust the distance away from the line that the tagger starts. The further away the tagger starts, the easier it is for them because they have more time complete the exercise and get up to tag the runner.